With 2013 slowly coming to a close and 2014 just two months away, the WWE has already started laying groundwork for its biggest pay-per-view extravaganza of all-time, WrestleMania 30, which will air live from New Orleans on April 6.
Since a show of this magnitude needs a lot of planning, the company has started reaching out to past stars and making plans on how to utilize those stars on the "Grandest Stage of them All" this April. Rumors have flown around about the WWE possibly bringing back Hulk Hogan, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar, Bill Goldberg and the ever elusive Steve "Sting" Borden for WrestleMania to increase its buy rate by any means necessary.
When Hulk Hogan left TNA Wrestling when his contract expired in October, many fans expected that he may return to WWE just in time for the 30th installment of the very event he helped create in WrestleMania. While there were talks of Hogan making a homecoming to the WWE, reports circulated that it fell off after the WWE turned down one of Hogan's ideas for WrestleMania.
Hogan was hoping to face one of the WWE's top stars in CM Punk at WrestleMania, but the company nixed the idea as they had other plans for CM Punk at 'Mania. Hogan was reportedly upset and opted to end the comeback after he received a "lowball" offer and they spoiled his plans. Reports since have indicated that Hogan was "training like a madman" for a return at WrestleMania and posted a picture on his Facebook with a replica WWE title to hint at a comeback. It is possible that when all is said and done, Hogan may enter a WWE ring again.
Some of his rumored opponents for WrestleMania included Jack Swagger and Fandango. Hogan hasn't appeared at WrestleMania since 2005 at WrestleMania 21:
WWE had other plans for Punk; reports indicate that those plans included facing one of the company's top champions or a possible dream match if the WWE against "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who would be back for one more match. Austin ruled out a comeback recently, but rumors still circulated that WWE was looking for its biggest beer drinker in the past to take on its Straight Edge Superstar in a high profile match at WrestleMania.
Austin recently ruled out a comeback in an interview a few weeks ago.
"The chances are pretty slim to be frank about it," Austin said on The MMA Hour last month per WrestlingInc.com. "It took me three years to get the business out of my system. Withdrawal would be a good way to put it. I got through those three years, and hell, it's been eleven years since I've been in the ring."
Punk was unhappy last year about not being in the main event against John Cena for the WWE Championship. Punk was instead in a high profile match where he went after the Undertaker's legendary WrestleMania streak, but he lost and 'Taker improved to 21-0. Though he was in a high profile match, Punk was unhappy about not being in the main event and he was very vocal about it:
"I don't really mince words, I'm not gonna tell you I'm excited for Cena and Rock II because I'm not," Punk told reporters during WrestleMania XXIX weekend last year. "I'd be more excited if it was me and John [Cena]."
Steve Austin hasn't wrestled due to serious injuries since the 2003 installment of WrestleMania XIX where he lost to The Rock and fought through injuries in what has held up as his last match to date. Austin has ruled out a comeback, but rumors have circulated that he's healthy and may be able to have one more match despite the fact that he's ruled it out. Many speculators believe that Austin probably could wrestle one more match and could be swerving fans.
While Punk was upset about going after the streak of the Undertaker, it has been rumored for years that the WWE is aggressively pursuing Steve "Sting" Borden to make an appearance in the WWE for the very first time to go after the Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania. With each passing WrestleMania, the rumors heat up that Borden may finally jump ship as he's the one main superstar from the WCW days that WWE owner Vince McMahon has yet to be able to land.
Sting has been in TNA since the collapse of WCW, but with the company floundering and paying superstars late while its reportedly in financial disarray, speculation has emerged that Sting may finally come to WWE to take on the dead man. The WWE was in serious talks with Borden a few years ago about an appearance, but the sides never agreed and he ended up staying with TNA.
The WWE has reportedly been unable to strike a deal with Sting yet again, leading them to go with a backup plan of having a returning Brock Lesnar, who is on a limited-appearance contract with the company, take on the Undertaker and his streak. Paul Heyman, who managed Punk when he unsuccessfully went after The Streak at WrestleMania XXIX at MetLife Stadium last year, could reunite with Lesnar to try and have his monster charge take down the Undertaker and his streak.
Lesnar was rumored to possibly face The Rock at WrestleMania back in September to renew their 2002 rivalry, but since The Rock got hurt at last year's WrestleMania and he has a busy movie filming schedule through WrestleMania weekend, it seems as though The Rock won't be making his fourth straight WrestleMania appearance. The Rock appeared at WrestleMania as the guest host for the first time in seven years at WrestleMania XXVII before taking on John Cena at the last two WrestleManias, but it looks like he won't appear.
Another old star that the company has been looking into landing is Bill Goldberg, who the WWE was hoping to bring back to take on Ryback in a "battle of the monsters." While this appears to just be mere rumors, Wrestlingheadlines.com reported that the WWE had definitely planned on reaching out to Goldberg to have a "monster vs. monster" match, especially after the crowd always chants "Goldberg" towards Ryback when he comes out on WWE programming.
Goldberg's last WrestleMania match was an infamous one at WrestleMania XX in Madison Square Garden when he took on Brock Lesnar in another "big man" match. The crowd knew that Goldberg and Lesnar were both gearing up to leave the company, so they heckled both men and cared more about special guest referee Steve Austin.
It remains to be seen if the WWE will be able to bring any of these old stars in, it's apparent that the company will stop at nothing to try and make this landmark WrestleMania as entertaining as possible through dream matches and nostalgia when WrestleMania 30 emanates from the Mercedes-Bens Super Dome in New Orleans on April 6.
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